Jennifer's Week Ten Recipe - Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

For as often as I bake, it is surprising to me that this is only my second dessert. As far as Chad and Erik are concerned, I hit the jackpot with this one.

Recipe is from allrecipes.com and can be found here.


Banana Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

4 ripe bananas, mashed

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1 cup chopped pecans


Pour le glaçage:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Grease and flour a fluted tube pan.
2. Beat 1 cup of butter, shortening, 2 cups of brown sugar, and 1 cup of white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the bananas, followed by the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with the last egg. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the pecans; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Heat 1/2 cup of butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugars have dissolved, then gently simmer for 1 minute. Pour over baked cake while still in the pan. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Other than the cake not being dense enough to truly be called a pound cake, it is more dense than a regular cake and very moist. Chad said things like "You are not allowed to to make banana bread anymore, you need to make this," "I would kill a man for this." He also referred to it as ambrosia and I think he told Erik that he could not have a second piece because that meant there would be less for him to eat. Oh, "Curse you, woman, for making this" was also said. He said that while eating his second piece which was 3 times the size of the piece I had served him. So, yeah, I think I will be making this again.